Loved to Life: A 40-Day Pilgrimage with Love Himself That Will Change Your Life

by Ann Voskamp

A 40-day journey to move you from barely getting through—to passionately living the fullest life.

You aren’t alone. God knows what it feels like to be where you are, where you have been. God Himself knows how hard this broken planet is—He’s walked where you’ve walked. But out of those hard, dusty roads…emerges a way into the exhilarating life you’ve longed to fully experience. This is the truest story in the whole God is the only One who has ever loved you to death and came to resurrect you into the fullest life you always hoped for. Embark with New York Times bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp, on a 40-day spiritual pilgrimage following the entire life of Jesus through the Gospel of John. Loved to Life is an invitation inspirational, grace and hope-filled devotionals;40 Bible passages that pilgrimage with Jesus from the beginning to the end of the Gospel of John to encounter and experience Him in a fresh, transformative way;40 original woodcut illustrations to mark each day of the pilgrimage.Jesus held the cup that holds the story you never wanted; the pain you wish you and your people had never known; the scars that have forever marred your only heart. For the love of you…Jesus drank this cup of suffering down to love you back to life. Turn and gaze on the One who gave you His whole life—and you’ll find the love you’ve been looking for your whole life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Devotional, Christian Non Fiction, Christian, Spirituality, Christianity, Faith

288 pages, Hardcover

Published February 11, 2025

About the author

Ann Voskamp is a farmer's wife, the home-educating mama to a half-dozen exuberant kids, and author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, a New York Times sixty-week bestseller..
Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, she's a global advocate for needy children with Compassion International, a loser of library books, a stirrer of soup, a loud laugher, a kid snuggler, a Jesus lover and honestly, a bit of a mess. It’s okay really. Grace is the most amazing of all.
Her online journal, one of the top 10 most widely read Christian blogs online, is a relief of quiet vulnerability and an oasis of sacred, seeing God in the everyday ugly beautiful.

Connect with Ann on:
AnnVoskamp.com
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Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been digging into the Gospels for the last few years. Primarily, because we get a sense of how Jesus lived through these 4 wonderful books. I've studied different versions plus used a number of different commentators, devotionals and other sources to dive deep into each book. When Ann announced she was releasing a 40-day devotional on the book of John from the perspective of love, it took me about three seconds to order a copy.

Each day is 3-4 pages, longer than the typical devotional reflection. Which is great. Ann has selected 40 key passages from John and dives in deep in her unique writing style. She's clearly studied the book deeply herself, read significant commentators like Spurgeon and captured the original meaning of key phrases and words to give us a challenging and thought provoking reflection. We're given lots to chew on and there is a space provided to write one's own reflections.

In addition, there are illustration on most days capturing an image of the main person in the passage.

Most significantly, Ann provides us with a clear understanding of God's immense love for us and how much He desires a deep relationship with us who he has created for that very purpose. Pilgrimage is a significant theme of the devotional. We are all pilgrims walking with Jesus as we learn His ways of love and grace to bring Him glory in the way we live our lives.

As I was fortunate to be a member of the launch team, I received an early ebook copy of the book from Tyndale via NetGalley which I've been able to study prior to the release date. However, a requirement was that I purchased my own copy of the book, the hardcover for which arrived in the mail today.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Voskamp has a way of weaving beauty and truth together in a way that reaches deep into the heart, and Loved to Life is no exception. This 40-day journey through the Gospel of John is more than a devotional—it’s an invitation to truly experience Jesus, not just in knowledge, but in a transformative, daily encounter.

As someone who is passionate about studying scripture and growing in faith, I found this book to be a refreshing challenge. Voskamp’s poetic yet profound writing style gently nudges readers to move beyond the surface of their faith and dive deeper into what it means to be fully loved by Christ. Each day’s reading includes a passage from John, a devotional reflection, and a stunning woodcut illustration that adds a contemplative element to the experience. It’s not just words on a page; it’s an immersive journey with Love Himself.

What stood out most to me was the reminder that God doesn’t just want us to survive—He wants us to live fully in His love. In a world that often feels chaotic, where distractions and doubts can pull us away from His presence, Loved to Life is a call back to the heart of faith: abiding in Christ. This book is especially meaningful for those seeking renewal, those who feel weary in their faith, or those who simply want to slow down and be reminded of the depth of God’s love.

If you’re looking for a devotional that is rich in scripture, beautifully written, and deeply transformative, Loved to Life is a book worth savoring. I highly recommend it to fellow believers who long to experience God’s love in a fresh and powerful way.

As a grateful member of the launch team, I received an ARC of the book from Tyndale via NetGalley, giving me the opportunity to study it before its release. However, I was required to purchase my own copy, and the hardcover edition arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading it again with my husband during Lent.

[Erika Renee Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally one of the best devotionals I’ve ever done! Ann Voskamp’s writing is so beautiful, lyrical and poetic. She inspired so many new and unique prayers for me to pray over myself and my loved ones. This is a devotional that I will keep coming back to for inspiration and encouragement. So so good!

[Tc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this book. I underlined sentences that made me grasp how much Jesus loves me. My excitement for reading after day 15 dwindled as I found too many adjectives in sentences to make her point. I also found too much repetition for my liking.
I did appreciate her perspective of John and her theology was spot on.
I wish that the book would have included the link to the live video sessions. This was what brought me to the study and I missed them because my email link was accidentally deleted. I could not discover a way back in to live sessions or ways to watch the recorded sessions.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

God used this book to draw me back to himself. I'm well familiar with Ann's other books, and I love her poetic style. This book includes her signature word pictures and brilliant metaphors. It also includes lovely woodcut illustrations. When this book came out early in 2025, I couldn't bear to read it in the depths of the dark night of the soul I was facing. However, late in 2025, I saw a Kindle deal on it and felt God's nudging to purchase and read it. The part of this book that drew me back to God and healed my relationship with him is her vivid, scientific descriptions of the severe brutality Jesus endured on the cross - all because of love for me. I will never forget how this book helped me heal, and I'm grateful for the way God used Ann's words to minister to my heart.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 3.5/5 star read for me. There were days I was led into the presence of God, my heart met and held and encouraged. There is truth here. However, there were also underlying messages of punishment theology, penal substitutionary atonement, and the ESV translation was the translation of choice. Those may not be noteworthy points to some readers, but they are of high importance to others. I did not like the ways that wrath and punishment made their way, even quietly, into a book called "Loved to Life." And the ESV translation loves women less, if you ask me. I also found that it was a bit of flowery repetition that did not have me drawn back to read very consistently. In fact, it took from the beginning of Lent to the end of August for me to finish it 🤦‍♀️. I will end on this: the final devotion, the last 3 pages of the book, well, those made the journey worth it haha.
"Because Christ made His way out of that grave, there is now a way out of your every grave and out of every hopeless place into a new way of being human. What was making you dead, is now dead to you. What was suffocating and strangling you is now finished for you. You get to fold up all you've kept shrouded, and you get to walk out... into Life more abundantly."

[Laurag · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was solid, and definitely pointed me towards Christ and a life more fully devoted to him.

The style drove me absolutely nuts. No synonym, homonym, homophone, or opportunity for repetition of a word went unused, in every sentence. It felt like a slog.
In summary- not my style, but others might enjoy it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devotional prepared me for Easter: “ the abundant life is not having everything you want in life, but abundantly, enjoying the life you have in God and wanting to be with him most. To know God, and be known by God is to live the most fulfilling life ever known.“ Page 114.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Voskamp. Not sure that it will be my last. I took this book in bite-sized chunks and really appreciated it.

[Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what my heart needed this lent season.

[Lisa Pickels · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was pure joy spending the last 40 days in this book going through the Gospel of John. Ann has truly done it again.

[Anna Shamery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ann’s writing. I will come back to this Lenten devotional in years to come.

[Alyssa Brynsvold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, soul-stirring Lenten devotional through the book of John. Voskamp's poetic words alongside Scripture bring fresh life to the Easter story and deepen the reader's love for Jesus.

[Candy Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most beautiful Lenten devotional I’ve ever read. Will come back to it every year.

[Bekah DiFelice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful depth and substance. The illustrations are gorgeous. There are many sections of powerful writing & scriptural reframing. My favorite moments were explanations of biblical symbolism (the reed, the water/wine). I do wish there was a bit more editing down of the writing— several entries felt cumbersome with turns of phrase and metaphor layering that were poetic but repetitive and highly conceptual.

[Jenny Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and illustrated. Ann Voskamp is one of a kind. Gentle grace. ❤️

[Twyla Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

These tender, deep-reaching, heart-awakening, soul-healing words just may be Ann’s best (yet!). She writes as effortlessly beautiful as always, but there’s something almost piercing about this message. Perhaps it’s because it’s meant so much to Ann for so long, but you can feel the throbbing ache in the heart of God reaching right through her words, welcoming you to the very fullest, most loved life.

[Jenny Ginter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about life here on earth is so complicated - we love so deeply, we feel so strongly, we want so much, and there is struggle, always lack, we always come up short, always begging God for help and direction. Ann's book provides a beautiful new perspective. She took me to another place, a place where the answers and solutions dim. Rather, Loved to Life took me on a journey to the ONE who created me with all my aches and desires and innumerable blemishes; the One who holds me through my suffering, the One who wants....me.
"But when you see how Jesus chose to take His cup of suffering for you, you can also take yours, the cup handed to you, and you can look to the sky and say, 'You who have given me every breath, You don't owe me more. You who have given me one day, you don't owe me two. You who have given me every single heartbeat for every single second I have ever known, You don't owe me anything more. '"
"God did not make the world so that there is pain, but when a broken world breaks our hearts, God works through the pain so that there is purpose even in all the tender mystery, so that there is always poetry in His intimate presence, so that His passionate love will love us to a deeper kind of a life of meaning, in the midst of the ache."
"His suffering love is meant to be savored, swallowed down - His strength into your sinews. His kind of supernatural love you have to get into your soul, pulsing through your veins, enlarging the chambers of your heart, enlivening the neural matter of your mind, surging and invigorating and beating our the exhilarating rhythm of your being, the essence of you - becoming you."
This book is a gift. I could not recommend it more highly - we have been loved to life! I am grateful to the core.

[Tara Rounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved to Life by Ann Voskamp is a 40 day pilgrimage discovering just how much Jesus loves you. It is a pilgrimage through the Gospel of John following Jesus's journey from heaven to earth continuing onto his death on the cross and ending in his glorious resurrection. Each day has a section of scripture, a woodcarving style picture depicting one of the verses from that day, a devotional where we appear in the story, and a section for personal notes to document our 40 day pilgrimage of discovering Jesus's love for us. There are also a few pages of quotes from the devotionals interspersed in the book.
Ann Voskamp has a style of writing that is descriptive, captivating, emotional, and reaches in to touch your heart. The devotionals are informative, scriptural based, relatable, and thought provoking. Each day's reading is several pages but not too long that you feel overwhelmed in trying to get the reading done each day. You may find yourself wanting to just sit for awhile soaking in the words or pondering questions from the reading. I really liked that Ann Voskamp included a section for journaling your thoughts each day. Loved to Life can be read at anytime during the year and even reread many times. This is a book I recommend to everyone from teenagers to adults. I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[TaraLeigh Inman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Voskamp’s Loved to Life is the kind of book that makes you stop, take a breath, and actually take in the love of Jesus~not just in theory, but in a way that shifts something deep inside.

It’s a 40-day walk through the Gospel of John, but it’s not just a checklist or another thing to add to your already full plate. Each day includes a passage of Scripture, a raw and beautifully written reflection from Ann, and a beautiful illustration that helps you see what you’re reading. It’s slow, simple, and meant to be savored~whether you’re reading alone, with a group, or using it as a Lent devotional.

Ann doesn’t write from some far-off, got-it-all-together place. She knows what it’s like to be exhausted, to feel like you’re pouring out more than you’re taking in, to wonder if you’re just surviving instead of really living. But instead of offering five steps to fix it, she keeps pointing back to Jesus~the only One who can actually fill us.

This book met me right where I needed it. It reminded me that I don’t have to do more, try harder, or be better to be loved. I just have to receive the love that’s already mine. And that truth? It’s life-changing.

If you’re craving a reset~a way to reconnect with Jesus without the pressure to perform~Loved to Life is it. It’s not just something you read. It’s something you experience.

[Teri Reck · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Ann Voskamp at her finest, I thoroughly enjoyed this book that she calls a "40 day pilgrimage with Love Himself that will change your life." And so it does.

It seems that in Christian communities, we have responded to extremely difficult times by becoming more and more legalistic. It makes sense--it's something to grasp onto when the whole world seems to be falling apart. As Christians, we most certainly belong in the Word of God, old testament and new. But in times when it is hard to love our fellow man, I feel like we forget about the fact that God is Love. We forget that "in the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word WAS GOD, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us." So, it's time now. We need to refocus on LOVE, not judgment. We need to focus less on how WE are going to fix it all, and instead bask in the fact that God already has. We need to treat each other--not as THEM who have the wrong ideas about everything--but as those who bumble through this thing we call life with the same worth and love that God has given any of us. It's not who we are, or what we think that is important, but WHOSE we are, and what HE thinks of us all.

An extremely worthy book. I challenge all to read it.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Loved to Life, Ann Voskamp embarks on a 40-day pilgrimage with Love Himself—a journey that invites readers into a deeper, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

With her signature poetic style, Voskamp beautifully weaves Scripture and reflection, drawing readers into the heart of Jesus through the Gospel of John. The accompanying illustrations by Stephen Crotts are not only captivating but add layers of depth and contemplation to the reading experience.

True Love and Abundant Life

This is not just a devotional—it’s an invitation to truly walk with Christ. From the opening chapter on the Logos to the glory of the risen Lord, Loved to Life traces the full arc of Jesus’ earthly life, calling out to the broken, the weary, and the searching.

Voskamp speaks tenderly and powerfully to those longing for hope, reminding us that Jesus alone offers true love and abundant life. It’s a book for anyone ready to be changed from the inside out.

I received a media copy of Loved to Life and this is my honest review.

[Kim Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply Honest, Deeply Hopeful

Ann Voskamp has a way of putting words to things we hardly know how to say. Loved to Life isn’t just a book—it’s an invitation to let God’s love meet you right where you are, in the middle of the mess, the pain, or the questions you didn’t expect to be asking.

This isn’t a book of easy answers or tidy conclusions. Ann is honest about the hard stuff, but she doesn’t leave you there. Page after page, she gently points back to Jesus—the One who sees, heals, and loves us to life.

If you’ve ever struggled with shame, grief, or feeling like you have to work for love, this book is for you. It’s real, it’s rich, and it’s a book you’ll want to read slowly, with a pen in hand. Highly recommend.

[Lauren Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-changing, challenging... other than the whole Bible this has to be the most beautiful love story I've ever read. It's not a story... it's a re-telling of the greatest love event ever. written as 40 small chapters designed to be read through the season of Lent in preparation for Resurrection Sunday, Ann Voskamp has captured the heart of disciple John's book in the gospel and expounds on questions we should all be asking ourselves: is He (Jesus)the true King and love of our life, or have we settled for lesser things that can never give what He gives to love us! I will be reading this book again and again and falling deeper in love with Jesus...a love that will move me closer to Him in obedience, respect, honor and glory due to the King of my heart!

[Michelle Griep · Rating 5 out of 5]

True confession: I’m not a huge non-fiction reader. So, when I do decide to crack open the cover of story that isn’t completely made up, I’m pretty picky—not just about the content but the writing. It’s got to draw me in, wow me, make me sit up and take notice…and that’s exactly what author Ann Voskamp does every single time. She’s an automatic buy for me.

So, it’s really no surprise that this is a five-star for me. Her prose is magical. Her words have a way of making me think outside my usual cozy little box. Her insights into God’s word and world are the sort that shifts paradigms for me. And—most importantly—connect with God in a more intimate, personal way.

Cannot wait till her next one!

[Windi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never read an Ann Voskamp book that I didn’t like or didn’t reach my heart and soul in a uniquely authentic way. Until this one. I love her style of writing. But Loved to Life left me feeling flat, tired, and somewhat meh. I usually enjoy her metaphors and lyrical phrasing, but not in this book. Reading it feels like a chore rather than a joy so I’ve given myself the freedom to abandon it at 48%.
That being said, I love the message of the book and feel like it will be a blessing to many and plan to pass my copy on ….. likely leave it in a blessing box along the way with a prayer for whomever chooses to take and read it.

[Jennifer Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Voskamp's Loved to Life is a true pilgrimage into the heart of Jesus. Perfect for Lent or any intentional season of drawing nearer to God. With its stunning sketches and Ann's unique ability to speak to the deep needs of the human heart, Loved to Life is an invitation to come closer, sit longer, and live more confidently into God's delight over you. Bring your worries, doubts, fears, and all the reasons you think you're not welcome. Find your place at the Table as you too are Loved to Life.

[Lynnette Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book not to miss

I loved every word written in this book. I hit the jackpot when I added the narration read in Ann's own words. This book will not gather dust on a shelf. I will read from it often in future days. I applaud Ann for including her narration in place of other narrators. This is not a book to read all at once. Read and listen slowly. There is a lot to digest and highlight. Friends will thank readers of this book if you gift others with a copy. What a gift and treasure this book is. Thank you Ann Voskamp.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Ann Voskamp and her writing. Her book A Thousand Gifts changed my whole perspective on life and I still draw a cross on my wrist to remind me to live cruciform like she talks about in The Broken Way. this devotional was beautiful and contained many nuggets to treasure but it was not my favorite of her books. It started slow and was harder for me to get through. Also the days were confusing for me to follow because if you start on Ash Wednesday and read a day at a time you'll finish before Easter Sunday.

[Melissa Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything written by Ann Voskamp. This is a devotional to Christ’s teachings in the book of John. Voskamp uses these teachings to show us how deeply and incredibly Jesus loves us. It’s so easy to miss when reading the Bible how personal its stories are to us since the events took place thousands of years ago. Books like these, help us to remember and connect to Jesus as He lives in all of us who believe in Him today. A must read for anyone who may be in a season of feeling distant from that great love.